Stay on top of the #Greenroofs & Greenwalls World by subscribing here: bit.ly/1HAbujW.
Designed by #MVRDV for developer Edge, the dramatic, geology-inspired, plant-covered #Valley stands out in Amsterdam’s financial district with three towers of 67, 81, and 100 metres high and its spectacular cantilevered apartments covered with biodiverse plantings. Named the best new skyscraper in the world in the 2021 Emporis Skyscraper Awards, the 75,000m2 mixed-use high-rise combines offices, shops, catering, cultural facilities, and apartments in one building. Valley is an attempt to bring a green and human dimension back to the inhospitable office environment of Amsterdam Zuidas. It is a building with multiple faces; on the outer edges of the building is a shell of smooth mirrored glass, which fits the context of the business district. Inside this shell, the building has a completely different, more inviting natural appearance, as if the glass block has crumbled away to reveal craggy rock faces inside replete with natural stone and greenery. Various locations throughout the three-tower complex offer breathtaking views of the city - the apartments, of course, but especially the sky bar at the top of the tallest tower, which visitors can access via the ground floor. And unlike the closed-off buildings elsewhere, the green valley that winds between the towers on the fourth and fifth floors is accessible to everyone via two external stone staircases. Each of the 200 apartments has a unique floorplan, and the outlandish cantilevers of the towers are possible thanks to innovative engineering including 11 steel “specials” that were bolted to the concrete building.
The Valley's planted areas were a custom design, together with MVRDV, Piet Oudolf, and DeltaVormGroep. In total, Valley has 370 vegetated areas spread over 26 floors with a total of 1787 m2 of planting area. Landscape architect Piet Oudolf developed a matrix to select the right plants for each location, taking into account wind, sunlight, temperature, and maintenance. Trees are largely found on the lower floors, while the uppermost levels mainly support small plants. More than 271 young trees and shrubs and approximately 13,500 smaller plants occupy the natural stone planters, representing 220 different plant species. The biodiversity of the landscape is further supported by bird- and bat boxes as well as various bee and insect hotels. Maintained using an automatic irrigation system and by “façade gardeners”, the trees and plants on the terraces will positively affect the well-being of people living and working here. Valley combines insights in the field of sustainability, technology, and health. The building’s energy performance is 30% better than local regulations require - it has received BREEAM-NL Excellent certification for the commercial spaces, with the latest smart technologies integrated in the office spaces. Its residential area scored an 8 out of 10 on the GPR Building Scale, a Dutch measurement tool that scores buildings across five themes of energy, environment, health, quality of use, and future value. Valley is a spectacularly unique building, offering an exciting mix of cultural exposition space, restaurants, coffee bars, retail space and a fantastic sky bar enhanced by its sometimes dizzying yet always green and biophilic environment.
Click here: www.greenroofs.com/projects/v... to see more information about this project in The International Greenroof & Greenwall Projects Database www.greenroofs.com/projects/. Did we miss your contribution? Please let us know to add you to the profile. Would you like one of your projects to be featured? We have to have a profile first! Submit Your Project Profile www.greenroofs.com/submit-pro....
Greenroofs.com Featured Project 11/13/23:
Image Credits: MVRDV; MVRDV © Ossip van Duivenbode & © Daria Scagliola; Linda S. Velazquez; Valley Facebook.